Slide type electronic devices, i.e. devices with two housing portions that can slide relative to one another have recently become increasingly popular. The slide mechanism is required to provide accurate and smooth guiding, be reliable and inexpensive. Further, there has been a trend for these devices (such as mobile phones) to be constructed with an overall housing thickness that is as little as possible, so called slim design. The challenge in obtaining a thin housing is particularly big for slide devices since the slide mechanism adds to the building height.
Conventional slide assemblies include a base that is provided with rails along its sides. The rails embrace a sheet material slider. Typically, the base part in a slider is made of sheet metal and a layer of plastic is overmolded into the rails for reduction of friction and providing more smooth movement between the slider and the base. The height of the rails embracing the slider and the plastic material therebetween has been the limiting factor for reducing the overall height of slide assemblies.